The Image of the Journalist in Popular Culture (IJPC) Database with more than 81,400 items on journalists, public relations practitioners and media in films, television, radio, fiction, commercials and cartoons is now online. 
Click here to go to an introduction to the database or go directly to the Online IJPC Database, which is updated on a daily basis.

The 2011 IJPC Associates Premium DVD:The Image of the Public Relations Practitioner in Movies and Television, 1901 to 2011, a three dual layer-DVD, 11:46:05 video compilation with 326 movie and television clips tracing the history of the public relations practitioner in the 20th and 21st centuries is now available to all new and sustaining IJPC Associates.

DISC ONE: The Image of the Public Relations Practitioner in Movies and TV
1901 to 1959–  113 clips – 3:41:07
DISC TWO: The Image of the Public Relations Practitioner in Movies and TV
1960 to 1996 – 120 clips – 4:02:49
DISC THREE: The Image of the Public Relations Practitioner in Movies and TV
1997 to 2011 – 93 clips – 4:02:39

The nearly 12-hour-plus video is invaluable for research into this new academic field and for teaching a class in the image of the public relations practitioner in popular culture.

A Special Preview Disc of the public relations video compilation running 13:30 and containing 64 clips is now available to all IJPC members.

Also included on the IJPC Website:

• A complete description of every film and television show included on the discs with selected photographs.
• Nearly 1,300 entries in the IJPC Database feature public relations practitioners and publicity.
• A section on Public Relations research is included in the Resources section.
• Classroom lesson plans

Look for a special edition of The IJPC Journal, Fall 2011 on "The Image of the Public Relations Practitioner in Popular Culture" -- in production.

Available Online:

Volume Two - Fall, 2010
Volume One - Fall, 2009

The Image of the Journalist in Popular Culture Journal is an online academic journal that adheres to the highest standards of peer review. Its purpose is to further the mission of the Image of the Journalist in Popular Culture Project to investigate and analyze, through research and publication, the conflicting images of journalists in every aspect of popular culture, from film, television, radio, fiction, commercials, cartoons, comic books to music, art, humor and video games – demonstrating their impact on the public’s perception of journalists.

The IJPC Journal is an interdisciplinary journal that, while centered on journalism, is open to contributions from many disciplines and research approaches, using a variety of methods and theoretical perspectives. Original investigation is expected, as well as clear, lucid writing and presentation.

There has not been much written on the image of journalists and public relations practitioners in movies, television, radio or fiction. The Image of the Journalist in Popular Culture recommends the following books, articles and websites.

Updated: 5-2011

The IJPC Student Research Papers section offers undergraduate and graduate students an opportunity to share research about the image of the journalist in popular culture and contribute to the information base of this ever-growing field.

We invite any submissions of papers by students that investigate and analyze the conflicting images of the journalist in film, television, fiction, radio, comic books, cartoons, comic strips, commercials, art, music and any other aspect of popular culture demonstrating their impact on the American public's perception of its journalists.

Editors are Matthew C. Ehrlich, Professor of Journalism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Campaign and Joe Saltzman, Professor of Journalism at USC Annenberg.

Updated: 8-2011

The IJPC Project is spearheading research on the image of the gay journalist in popular culture.

There has been virtually no research done in this field. We want to explore the image of the gay journalist and public relations practitioner in movies, television, novels, comic books and other areas of popular culture.

We encourage you to participate in this area of research.

We also encourage you to send manuscripts on the subject to peer-reviewed The IJPC Journal as well as articles to the IJPC Web site. Contact saltzman@usc.edu for further information

The image of the female journalist in popular culture revolves around a dichotomy never quite resolved. The female journalist faces an ongoing dilemma: How to incorporate the masculine traits of journalism essential for success – being aggressive, self-reliant, curious, tough, ambitious, cynical, cocky, unsympathetic – while still being the woman society would like her to be – compassionate, caring, loving, maternal, sympathetic. Female reporters and editors in fiction have fought to overcome this central contradiction throughout the 20th century and are still fighting the battle today.

Updated: 5-2010

June 28, 2010 (Part One)

June 29, 2010 (Part Two)

July 2, 2010 (Part Three)

 Based on the book edited by Howard Good 

 Reviews of films featuring journalists 

 Journalism in the Movies 

(University of Illinois Press) 
Also: New Journal Article: 
"Hollywood and Journalistic Truthtelling"and
"Facts, Truth and Bad Journalists in the Movies"

Needs Your Help  (updated 11-2011)

Joe Saltzman, director of the Image of the Journalist in Popular Culture, discusses the movie reporter. 
Radio broadcast and transcript